Skill Challenges as combat encounters?

[Fallen Seraph]

How do you propose doing skill challenges in midst of combat, exactly?
(Nice challenges by the way, particulary the last one).

Well essentially I plan (it can always change depending on the final rules) that at the beginning of each of their turns have them roll for the skill-challenge of that type.

Successes and failures besides for helping with the final completion of the skill-challenge (lets say staying on-top of the locomotive) also give bonuses for combat/negatives for combat. Since failures would put you at a weakened position and successes could put you in a better position (this will depend of course on how difficult they decide to roll).

 

[TheLordWinter]

I want to open my 4e campaign with a bang and not necessarily a straight forward combat, as much of the combat system has already been well previewed. Reading up on skill challenges got me thinking that they might be very useful tools in running chaotic. mass battles in which the main goal is not for the party to achieve certain small objectives, like eliminating a leader or tough monster, or taking out the flanking group. For example, the PCs may begin the game on opposite sides in a small fight between warring lords fighting for ownership of a nearby mine or something similar. During the battle, I want to introduce some of the villains and elements of the campaign at large, so I was thinking both sides would be attacked by a force of minor devils and cultists (the cult will feature prominently in the game as an ongoing antagonist), and the battle will quickly turn into a fight for survival.

I was thinking running the chaotic struggle to escape as a skill challenge might work really well and it seems, with what we know of the framework so far, that it would fit. PCs could use their skills, abilities, and maybe even combat powers to some extent to earn successes. Setting it up as a ratio of successes to failures would be less than ideal, though, as what would happen if the number of failures are reached first? Death, by skill check? So I was thinking failures, maybe in groups of two, result in small scale combats - such as being confronted by three enemy minions as the PC rushes to a copse of trees for cover from airborne devils, or a PC has to hold off a spined devil for two rounds until the flow of the fight carries it away from his position - meant to only last a couple rounds. It wouldn't take much prep work to have a few such situations ready to go.

So, what do you all think, does this sound like an interesting, fast paced way to run a larger scale, chaotic encounter like this? Does it sound like something that would fit with what is known of skill challenges so far?

Given the set up you've got, I'd begin by having a few small combats with PCs on one side then the other. Let them see one another across the battlefield and then have the two armies charge. Each gets an encounter against a handful of peasant militia and say a commander who won't die in a shot, and then just as the two groups reach one another and cross swords, there's a massive explosion (or some equally battle stopping occurrence, such as an eclipse) and then suddenly there's demons flooding the field tearing apart anyone they encounter. Don't skimp on this either, present perhaps the Wardevil featured in this week's Monster Manual article just tearing apart all who face it.

At this beast's appearance, the PCs should very likely beat feet, particularly if one or two try to bring the fight to it, expecting an encounter of normal level. After being hit by the trident attack, I imagine they'll swiftly reconsider fighting him much longer and he can simply teleport away to a tougher area of the battlefield, leaving the character knocked prone in the loving grasp of a Lemure or similar weakling.

After this the PCs will likely flee - try to keep the together. As soldiers fall all around them emphasize that the only people who are still living when the day is done are the players. Failure on the skill challenges should result in fights against minor devils, potentially the Lemure minions featured on the Original Creations Compilation thread. You can also warn them of their failures by mentioning the War Devil is drawing closer, laughing maniacally. It doesn't have any kind of effect of mechanical failure but your players won't know this - as far as they know their failure to make Endurance checks to keep running is going to result in their doom! It'll keep the tension up as the War Devil looms closer, only to skewer an NPC commander through the chest and ignore the PCs for now.